What is the National Bus Concession?

Off peak hours are 9.30am until 11pm Monday-Friday and all day at weekends and Bank Holidays.

Outside of these times you will be required to pay the standard fare for the journey you are making.

These amendments which were brought in on 1 January 2011 bring Cornwall into line with the national scheme rules. Cornwall Council regrets the need for this change which is due to the need to make substantial savings in line with national requirements.

However if you show your Concessionary bus pass on any First buses in Cornwall before 9.30am or after 11pm you will only pay a maximum of £2.00 (single). For more information please visit the First group website.

Where can the pass be used?

The pass can be used on all local bus services in England (not Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or the Isle of Man).

The pass can be used to obtain a discounted ticket on the Park for Truro park and ride service. This discounted ticket will be charged at £1 per person for travel after 9.30am Monday to Friday or all day Saturday. (Standard fares apply before 9.30am Mon to Fri)

How is the pass used?

The pass must be shown to the driver at the beginning of the journey and the destination given. (This information is required for scheme administration.)

Who is eligible for a pass?

Residents of Cornwall who are of eligible age or have certain disabilities who belong to one of the categories below:

D. People who have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to walk

E. People without arms, or who have long term loss of use of both arms

F. People who have a learning disability

G. People who would be refused a driving licence on medical grounds under Section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (except on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol).

H. People of eligible age (please note: this is no longer when you turn 60)

Which pass should I apply for if I am of eligible age and disabled?

If you are of pensionable age and disabled you may apply for either an older person's bus pass (blue stripe) or a disabled pass (orange stripe). Both cards entitle the holder to the same concession.

Older person's bus pass

Disabled person's bus pass

How to obtain a pass

Fill in and sign an application form and take it, along with the appropriate evidence of eligibility/age and proof of address, to your local library . These application forms are also available in the libraries and one stop shops.

Our staff will register your evidence, take your photograph and submit the application for processing. You can register for an older persons pass 30 days before your eligible date. New applications we aim to resolve within four weeks of receipt of all relevant information.

Library applications for bus passes can be made between 10am until 12 noon and 2pm until 4pm during library opening hours, not between 12 noon and 2pm or on Saturdays unless by prior arrangement. Appointments for lunchtimes and Saturdays can be booked in person at the library or by telephoning 0300 1234 111.

What evidence do I need to obtain a pass?

You will need to complete an application form for either an older persons pass or one for people with certain disabilities and show two proofs of your address. You will also need to provide proof of your eligibility/age (please read below).

Proof of address

(bring two of the following)

Bank statement

NHS medical card

Benefit book / letter

Council tax bill

Photo driving licence

Optical / medical prescription counterfoil

Utility bill

Proof of eligibility

(bring one item from the category under which you are applying) Please make sure you have supplied the correct evidence as per the criteria otherwise your evidence will be returned and this will delay the process.

Who should I notify if I move house?

If you are moving to another address in Cornwall, please send one proof of your new address to the address on this page. This will enable us to update our records.

If you are moving out of Cornwall, please return your bus pass to us using the above address and tell us that you are moving. You will be able to apply for a new bus pass in your new host district/county.

If I lose or break my pass, what should I do?

If you lose or break your pass you should send a cheque or postal order for £7 made payable to Cornwall Council to the above address with a note containing your name, address and date of birth.

If you have moved since your card was issued, you should include one item of proof of your new address from the list above.

We will endeavour to issue replacement passes within 10 working days. Replacement passes cannot be issued at the library; they can only be applied for by post from the County Hall address above.

My bus pass is due to expire soon, how do I renew it?

If you hold a disabled bus pass, approximately 4 weeks before your bus pass is due to expire you will receive a renewal pack in the post inviting you to renew your bus pass and containing all the information you need to do so.

If you hold an older persons pass you will automatically receive a new pass in the post approximately 7-14 days before your old one expires.

You cannot renew your bus pass at libraries or one stop shops. Please remember to notify the Assessment Team as soon as possible if you have moved house or changed your name since applying for your first bus pass.

What to do if the passholder has passed away or the card is no longer required

The pass can be returned to your nearest One Stop Shop or library/returned in the post to Assessments (Travel), PO Box 676, or you can let us know by phone on 0300 1234 222 or email travelassessment@cornwall.gov.uk

How to complain about the National Bus Concession

If you have cause for complaint, we will be most keen to resolve the issue. You may contact us at:

Hotlisting

From 2 February 2015, across all of the South West, the Council will be switching on Hotlisting for National Concessionary Bus Passes.Hotlisting is the process where a Bus Pass may be turned off by the Council making it invalid for use.

There are three main reasons why the Council will have hotlisted a pass, which will affect only a very small number of bus pass holders

The pass has been reported either lost or stolen, and has already been replaced;

The Council has written to a pass-holder and the letter was returned by the Royal Mail indicating the pass-holder may have moved;

The Council has written to a pass-holder asking for up to date proof of eligibility or to return the pass.

From this date, if a ticket machine on the bus confirms that a pass is hotlisted, it will be withdrawn from use and retained by the bus driver. Where a pass is withdrawn, and the driver is satisfied that the user is the person on the pass, the user will still be allowed to make that journey – although all future journeys will need to be paid for until either the correct pass is used or a new pass issued.

Hotlist Amnesty Period – January 5th to February 2nd 2015

As the majority of reissued passes are to replace ones either out of date or reported lost by the pass-holder, the Council recognises that there may still be some pass-holders who currently use more than one pass when they are not supposed to, for example, where the original ‘lost’ pass has subsequently been found.

To minimise concern to users who do have more than one pass, an Amnesty period will be implemented from January 5th 2015 to February 2nd 2015. During this time, if a pass is shown to be hotlisted, the driver will tell the user that the pass is no longer valid for travel and must not be used again – but it will not be withdrawn, and the user will be able to continue with their journey.

The user will then have time to contact the Council to arrange for a new pass to be issued where appropriate, and to return the old pass to the Council before the end of the Amnesty period.

Concessionary Travel - Data Protection Fair Processing Notice

The information you provide on your application form will be held by Cornwall Council and used for the purpose of processing your application. Cornwall Council is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use the information you have provided on this form for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

In accordance with Cornwall Council's Record Retention Policy, the information you provide will be retained for five years, after which period it will be destroyed in a secure manner. All personal information held by Cornwall Council is held safely in a secure environment.